For decades foot-operated electromechanical control interface devices have been in widespread use in a variety of applications, to provide users with hands-free control capabilities in connection with their operation of one or more electromechanical/electronic systems and/or devices that occupy both of their hands during use. Such electronic systems/devices range from industrial equipment (fabrication machine/work station, etc.), for which such control devices may be used for motor speed control, start/stop, etc.), to musical instruments by musician users, in connection with which, the foot-operated control devices may be used to apply predetermined user-controlled modifications to various attributes of the sound output of the musical instrument(s) being played (e.g., such as application of “effects”—wah-wah, etc, volume control, pitch, etc.).
Because musicians typically use both of their hands to play their instrument, they very frequently rely on various foot-operated control interface devices to provide additional control over the sound being produced during their performance. For example, a typical organ's manual keyboard provides no volume control, while an electric guitar, provides very limited manual control over its timbre.
As a result, most musicians utilize pedals as foot-operated control/adjustment interfaces or their instruments. All such previously known pedals invariably comprise a spring-retained tilting treadle joined to a heavy static base at one end by a hinge (or equivalent) with corresponding further linkage to an electromechanical component (most commonly, a potentiometer), for determining the tilting angle of the treadle with respect to the base. The most common implementation of such pedals includes a rotary potentiometer with the linkage being a rack and pinion gear (or equivalent) so that a typical 15 degree angular range of treadle tilt is capable of turning the potentiometer through its full 270 degrees of rotation.
The disadvantages of such conventional “rack & pinion” potentiometer-based pedal solutions are many, and they include, but are not limited to, the following flaws:                1) The mechanical construction thereof results in such pedal devices being complicated, heavy, and expensive;        2) Friction and hysteresis in the linkage to the potentiometer, as well as the necessary maximum angular motion range of the treadle with respect to the pedal base, not only limits the speed, accuracy, and precision with which the musician can control the desired sound parameters, but also limits the maximum range of such control;        3) Potentiometers are subject to wear, and need to be replaced after extensive use;        4) The mechanical linkages are also prone to damage or breakage after extensive and/or rough use, reducing the reliability of such pedal solutions; and        5) The control element for activation/deactivation of previously known pedals are either difficult to access by the user during pedal operation, or, most commonly, are implemented as pop-up switches in the base of the pedal, positioned under the treadle, and are operable by the user fully pressing down on the treadle to a sufficient angular range to activate (or deactivate) the switch—an arrangement which, in the heat of a musician's performance may result in inadvertent (and highly undesirable) activation and/or deactivation of the control pedal.        
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an foot-operable control interface apparatus and method that addresses all of the drawbacks of the previously known foot-operable control solutions, and that includes numerous advantageous features (such as extensive flexibility, ease of adaptation/configuration, etc.), and a wide range of functionality, while being easy to transport and operate, and having superior reliability.